Place-Conscious Approach

How does “place” fit into integrated strategies for improving economic mobility for low-income workers and their families?

What is a place-conscious approach?

A place-conscious approach to improving well-being and economic mobility is one that addresses the interconnections between family resources and challenges, the conditions in the places they live, and the access to opportunities in the surrounding region (Turner, 2015).

Place matters.

Place has an important role in shaping people’s opportunities to work and provide for their families. The physical environments, populations, resources, industries, and economic conditions across and between interstate regions varies. Although economic activity and employment across the U.S. have surpassed its pre-recession peak, almost half of the biggest metropolitan areas have not recouped all of the lost jobs from the recession, and almost a third have failed to return to previous levels of output (Fleming & Sevastopulo, 2015). The Center for Employment & Economic Well-Being (CEEWB) is interested in exploring and advancing workforce engagement models that embrace interstate collaboration and the potential of regional economies.

At the metropolitan level, economic development and changes in the disbursement of low-wage workers and jobs are posing significant challenges to low wage earners’ access to opportunities. Having jobs nearby increases individuals’ likelihood of employment, and proximity to employment is especially important for low-income people, who often have fewer affordable housing and transportation options. According to an analysis of data from over 300 transit providers in the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas, only about one-quarter of jobs in low- and middle-skill industries are accessible via public transit within 90 minutes for typical metropolitan commuter (Tomer, Kneebone, Puentes, & Berube, 2011).

According to Holmes and Berube (2015), “connecting the residents of low-income neighborhoods to job opportunities in the broader region, as well as attracting better options locally… can ameliorate problems like segregation, concentrated poverty, and low-density sprawl that pose real barriers for economic progress for low-income kids and families.” The CEEWB seeks to identify and explore service models and systems that consciously and purposefully address “place” in workforce engagement efforts.

Spotlight on...

The Maritime Transportation and Logistics Training Program is a public-private partnership that is providing specialized training to men and women for entry into the Baltimore region’s maritime and logistics industry. The program is administered by Maryland New Directions, a non-profit that serves low-income job-seekers in Baltimore. The organization serves as a liaison for the Port of Baltimore and the Maritime Transportation Industry, and it works in partnership with a local college to provide program participants with the specific training necessary to meet the needs of employers. The program is funded by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation’s Empowerment Advancement Right NOW (EARN) grant as well as a grant from Jobs for the Future, via the Walmart Foundation.

The program exhibits a place-conscious approach through its investment in developing the skills and knowledge of local, low-income job-seekers and connecting them to local jobs so that they can contribute to the growth of the maritime and logistics industry which is deeply imbedded in the city’s history and the identity of many Baltimoreans. So far, the program has successfully completed two cohorts with a total of 51 graduates. 39 (75%) of graduates are now employed with an average wage of nearly $15/hour, 21 of whom are in industry related positions.

Resources

The U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) selected The Aspen Institute’s Workforce Strategies Initiative (AspenWSI) as its national partner to help coordinate the Communities That Work Partnership – a new learning exchange that aims to accelerate and document more effective, employer-led regional workforce initiatives across the country.

The Brookings Institute’s Metropolitan Opportunity Series documents the changing geography of poverty and opportunity in metropolitan America, analyzes its drivers and implications and offers policy recommendations to enhance the well-being of lower-income families and communities in both cities and suburbs.

One of the Urban Institute’s areas of research is Neighborhoods, Cities, and Metros. The Urban Institute’s researchers study the effects of place at these three levels on people’s well-being, access to opportunity, and mobility. Visit the webpage to find resources related to place-based initiatives, economic development, mobility and transportation, and much more.

The Equality of Opportunity Project at Harvard University is a data-driven research project focused on the geography of opportunity, and how upward mobility varies across places and over time.